Presence of certain tumor markers could signal best results for vaccine.

2003 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at the John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) in Santa Monica, California, have found a panel of molecular markers that could signal which patients might have the best results following vaccination for malignant melanoma.

Scientists showed that patient survival improved significantly if their tumors expressed higher levels for these markers, known as melanoma-associated antigens (MAAs).

"This investigation has provided a major clue why a certain subset of advanced melanoma patients, about 10% of these patients, survive longer than others," said Dr. Dave S.B. Hoon, director of molecular oncology at the JWCI and the study's principal investigator.

"It also indicates that active-specific immunotherapy such as vaccines against melanoma may be particularly effective in this same group of patients."

The findings were published in Cancer Research.

More than 40,000 new cases and 7000 deaths will occur in 2003 in the U.S. from melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. As such, it is the fifth most common cancer in the nation.

If diagnosed and treated early, the cure rate for melanoma is high. But if it is not removed at an early stage, cancer cells may grow and invade healthy tissue below the skin surface and spread to other parts of the body. The most advanced form of the disease, stage IV tumors that spread to distant organs, has proved resistant to standard treatments of chemo- and radiotherapy. The 5-year survival rate among these patients is about 5%.